KUALA LUMPUR - This is Visit Malaysia Year
and the government is using the opportunity to
promote the multi-ethnic country as a regional
beacon of diversity and tolerance. But apparently
international performing artists are a little less
welcome than your average tourist.

In
August pop star Gwen Stefani was required to dress
"modestly" for her concert here, after the
National Union of Malaysia Muslim Students
protested against the scheduled

performance on the grounds
that she would bring to Malaysia an "American
hegemonic background", said the group's president
Hilmi Ramli.

Early this month, R&B
singer Beyonce Knowles scrapped her debut concert
in Malaysia slated for November 1 due to what her
agency called "a scheduling conflict", though
local record industry sources say it was because
the 26-year-old diva thought better of conforming
to Malaysia's dress stipulations for international
performers. "They have to dress decently ... and
behave in a manner appropriate in Malaysia,"
insisted culture, arts and heritage minister Rais
Yatim, days after Beyonce cancelled her show.

Malaysian authorities have long required
local rock stars to cut their hair or forfeit the
opportunity to appear on television or radio, and
frequently remind Malaysians of the consequences
for openly addressing "sensitive" issues like race
and religion. But it wasn't until 2005 that
foreign performers were asked to join the act.

Guidelines require foreign performers to
cover themselves from shoulder to knees. They also
stipulate no hugging or kissing fellow artists or
audience members, no jumping or shouting, no
cursing and no exchanging objects between audience
and artist. Preventing "moral decay" and
preserving Malaysian values are the reasons
usually cited for the restrictions.

But
what exactly are Malaysian values, and who is
defining them? The issue has come to the fore in
this multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, as
religion asserts itself with renewed vigor in the
public and political domain, and Malaysia's
sizeable non-Muslim communities feel increasingly
marginalized. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak
recently called Malaysia an "Islamic state", even
though Malaysia's governing framework is a secular
constitution that gives Islam special importance.

Mohamad Akram Laldin of the International
Islamic University in Malaysia says the government
curbs on artistic freedom are in the interest of
all Malaysians. "When the government takes a
decision, they know that ... a big majority of the
people will not be happy if such a thing is
allowed. That is the reason why they have put [in
place] certain restrictions [for performers]."

Razlan Ahmad Razali, chairman of Pineapple
Concerts, which was to organize Beyonce's
performance here, finds such reasoning specious.
He says the dress of performers never becomes an
issue until a vocal religious minority makes an
issue of it. "Look, compared to 10,000 people who
want to watch Gwen Stefani and 100 or 50 or so
people doing the protests - you're willing to cave
into those people?"

US rock stars Linkin
Park and Mariah Carey are notable acts to have
complied with Malaysia's dress restrictions.
(Carey coincidentally is now appearing in a print
ad for a local radio station wearing a short
slinky dress with her derriere facing the camera
next to the tag line, "Turn me on.")

The
government and the Muslim groups it often stands
accused of pandering to tend to conflate Islamic
values into Malaysian values, and Asian values
more broadly, to rationalize giving Islam primacy
in a society where non-Muslims account for 40% of
the population. But a look around Malaysia reveals
that Malaysian values (like Asian values) are
neither static nor homogenous.

Even within
Malaysia's Muslim community there is considerable
plurality. Indeed, many of those who frequent
nightclubs dressed in form-fitting, flesh-baring
clothing also happen to be Muslim. A tourism
campaign sponsored by the Culture Ministry deems
Malaysia "Truly Asia", as in, "With a sparkling
and lively melting pot of races and religious
[sic] where Malays, Chinese, Indians and the many
ethnic groups of Sabah and Sarawak live together
in peace and harmony, Malaysia is truly a country
that epitomizes Asia."

Solo act of
censorshipBut then Malaysia finds itself
standing alone among Asian neighbors in its
handling of international pop stars. On Beyonce's
scheduled Malaysian date, she will instead play in
neighboring Indonesia, where some 85% of the
population is Muslim. She will also perform in
Thailand, India, and China. None of those
countries have asked Beyonce to censor herself or
be anyone other than herself.

Indonesian
concert promoter Nia Zulkarnaen was quoted as
saying, "I expect Indonesians to see this in a
positive light. She is a great singer and her
stage act is entertaining. Why should we say no to
the way she dresses?"

The Malaysian
government is standing firm, however. After
Beyonce's cancellation, Rais said his ministry
will set up a committee to vet foreign performers
and ensure they dress and behave in a way that is
respectful to Malaysia as defined by the
government. No one can deny Malaysia the right to
act on its own terms, a point the government has
not been shy to stress.

Former prime
minister Mahathir Mohamad was famous for his
anti-Western and anti-Semitic diatribes. Ministers
relish dismissing international calls for Malaysia
to show greater respect for human rights and
dignity. International trade minister Rafidah Aziz
called a speech by then US vice president Al Gore
during the peak of the reformasi era, which
echoed the Malaysian